Friday, March 30, 2012

Measure force in the company for over 11 years

A group of 68 workers in Maputo Public Transport Company (TPM) has developed a petition in January, the company management, which requires the cancellation of the discounts they are made to their salaries and channeled to the cell Frelimo party and the local union committee. The discounts represent the value of 1% of monthly salary for each of the organizations have been agreed in writing between the employer and staff workers at the signing of the contract work. However, not everyone is happy and they even said they had to allow discounts as a condition for admission to the carrier. In the petition, for the President of the Board of TPM, Maria Iolanda Wane, the 68 workers say that "this collective decision emerges because there is no transparency and protection of the worker, the mission for which they were elected and entrusted" the cell Party and union representatives. The claim was filed in January this year at the office of the PCA, but the salaries of the 68 signatories of the collective request to Mary Wane, for the months of February and March, were cut to feed those two organizations. That is, even with the petition in hand, the treasury of TPM transferred 1% of each of the wages of workers account for the cell Frelimo and the trade union committee, the salaries of the months January to March this year. The strange thing is that the pressure immediately to the Board, a worker who promoted the collection of signatures, named Maurice Manhice was relegated from the professional category of the Guard "A" to immediately below, for a period of two months. Maurice Manhice was accused of stirring, with other colleagues, and have concealed the true motive of the undersigned. "The accused and other workers have created unrest, claiming rebates on earnings for the accounts of the union and the Frelimo party, when its purpose was different, to express the decision to suspend the agreement to pay off the supermarket Twingo" reads the note of accusation in the possession of "The Country". In fact, the administration of TPM removed, claiming to have received the recommendation of the Administrative Court, the ability of workers to raise food in the supermarket Twingo for further withholding. However, the argument of the carrier to punish one of his employees is subjective. It assumes that the company itself was the shaking caused by the undersigned, but said while this was not the objective. However, the document signed by 68 workers on the same day and time that the PMS said that the purpose of claiming workers was lifting the suspension of the products in the supermarket Twingo. That is, the only objective fact - that the TPM assumes in his own answer - is the petition to the President of the Board.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Agents complain Secrecta

About fifty agents SISE (Secrecta State Information Service), say they are apprehensive and angered by the abandonment and lack of clarity about their future. Speaking after this morning to escort the president and members of the Council of Ministers said it was absurd delegate emissaries to tell us that and we quote "go hungry then go to the RENAMO Dlakama." Indecision is undermining the institutional payment of house rents, school fees for children, the purchase of books and even the continuity of some homes, according to these agents are now told that Rangers but without date.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WHO'S AFRAID OF "Cabinda in Mozambique?"

During these visits, which often have done in some provinces than in recent times have been discovered certain natural resources or wealth, such as Tete and Cabo delegate who now become the kingdoms of the coal and gas, respectively, have noted that some local citizens being victims of the virus of xenophobia, that makes Look upon these riches and should benefit only and only the inhabitants of these provinces, not all Mozambicans. If this was my observation is wrong, so now I ask indulgence, but this was the feeling that I was when I visited Tete in December last year, so that's the perception I have whenever I hear the discussions in TV'se radios here in our country was really believing that this feeling can become a big and serious problem for us, I chose to start this article I shall look into the controversy about the mega-projects and mineral resources that are finding by some Mozambican provinces, citing these two assertions relating to dynastic China, which in this case teach us how the Chinese of ancient times, made the wealth of each of its provinces, a de facto national wealth.
I quoted your experience because I am of those who strongly believe in the theory of Cicero, is that from past experience, what better learn to do better what we do at present, while the same is past, we can avail ourselves to prepare for the future.
Cicero said that those who do not avail themselves of the past, children die, even if they live more than 100 years. At least the Chinese they are based in the past to build the present and look to the future or new contracts, and time has proved and still proves that it is the best recipe for winning in life.
The two quotes make it clear that China did not become a great and invincible nation, when their different tribes came together and become one people, and more than that, they began to share the material wealth and unattainable that they had in each one of its provinces. They had realized that the tribal divisions were his weakness and vulnerability before their common enemies, as illustrated by this sentence which states that'' if the tribes are divided between them, remain weak and will be easy to keep subjugated them,'' written by one of the scribes of the Ming Dynasty, which lasted in China between the years 1402 to 1413, and quoted by GVMelikhov, in his Ming Policy Toward Nuzhen, and that in turn transcribed from a study SLTikhvinski, both Russians.
It is obvious that the study was based on experiences of other people or even works of this nature, that our great visionary, Professor Eduardo Mondlane, who realized that we could to win the so heinous Portuguese colonialism, first had to unite and fight as one people, one and indivisible. And indeed, once united, we were able to star in the miracle of overcoming colonialism that we had already spent 500 dominating long and tragic years, a fraction of only 10 years a fierce struggle under the leadership of Frelimo, which he had founded the from the merger of three movements that were each trying to fight alone against colonialism.
Unless I am poor observer, I have noticed that there are some Mozambicans, who for whatever reason, believe that the riches that are discovering this or that province, are the exclusive property of those provinces where they are located, and therefore does not can be shared by other provinces of Mozambique.
Of all the times that dialogue with some of these provinces in Mozambique that is now found some wealth, such as Tete, which is the kingdom of coal that is now being exploited by multinationals, or the Cape delegate, where it has been discover a lot of gas that will give us and also the rest of the world, I have noticed that there are strong signs of the emergence of an economic xenophobia, which is being fueled by those who think there should be your enjoyment only and solely the tetenses and cable- delegadianos.
For those who think like that, do not realize that they are concerned by what is most sacred and invigorating for us as a people, which is our national unity, which allowed us to overcome colonialism and later the attacks of racist regimes that prevailed in the region and then they were so against our freedom as against our prosperity.
They do not realize that they are concerned by this same drive that allow us to defend and win new and more dangerous enemies who now will certainly wish to divide us again, in order to reign, and they are enjoying these immeasurable wealth who sleep on our land, soil and seas that surround us almost.
How can we realize the two quotations with which I began this article, China has only become great, prosperous and powerful when the different tribes came to share the riches of each of its provinces, and acted as one people, despite each one continued to speak their language or their local language or province. United, they repelled invasions of several nations of the world for centuries, were trying to seize their wealth or colonize them, counting among these countries invading Japan, India and even the U.S.. Alias, even Mao Zedong, made it clear in their political preaching, one of the sources of prosperity and strength of the United States of America, is the unity of its people living in each of the 50 states that constitute one super-power and leader of the Western World, but above all its ability to decentralize power and share the tangible and intangible wealth that is in each of these states.
Those who know the U.S., know that each of the 50 states have different wealth, including oil in some, but that is consumed throughout the country and never considered unique wealth of the state in which it is extracted.
To tell the truth, our greatest asset is our unity, without unity because wealth is wealth to foreigners who come to dominate us, as long as we live 500 years under Portuguese colonial rule, in which our wealth were only for Portugal while we ourselves were sold as commodities they called slaves, while those of us that were not sold, we were treated like beasts to load. It is therefore imperative that we always united mentenhamos because only then are we really independent, sovereign and strong forever. We must never forget that life is a vicious cycle that imbalance is a constant and a temporary equilibrium, in which to be constant, it requires a continuous effort or constant too. This means that if one day we lose our unity, we will be weak and vulnerable to those we envy our wealth.
Those who think that only their provinces is that they have wealth, they are very wrong, because strictly speaking, all 10 Mozambican provinces each have a wealth or resources to give its inhabitants as those of others. It is true that wealth differs or may differ, but wealth is not complete or is not enough when it boils down to a single product. The wealth of each province específeca will only be complete if combined with the tangible and intangible wealth of other provinces or regions of our country. So required by law or the principle of complementarity of the comparative advantages designed by economists Adam Smith and David Ricardo in his famous work The Wealth of Nations.
Is that even the provinces that may have nothing in terms of material wealth, they always have something to give too, because the best wealth is, above all, the intangible, which is to say, knowledge, especially now we are in the era of the Knowledge Revolution.
As we know, there are countries that have no material wealth, but are not as affluent as are those who hold natural resources. Among those countries that have not been blessed with material wealth but still thrived thanks to the wisdom of their children, include Germany, Japan and Singapore who are so wealthy and rich as it is not Nigeria or Gabon, which are sitting on top of immeasurable oil wells and other resources.
Thus said, the view that the discovery of coal in Tete or gas as sufficient reason to start thinking about the kind of isolationism that is required now weakened by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, FLEC in Angola or in short, people are who see the wealth the same way as they were seen by our ancestors for millennia of years. These are people who belong to overcome an era that is no longer part of the XXI century we are. Must be repudiated and taught to see with the eyes cde see, because they are a threat to our unity and sovereignty.
The same should be done about those who think that the mega-projects being implemented in the country has produced so much wealth that was already flooding the desks or homes of each and every one of the more than 23 million Mozambicans. Those who spread this vision can lead us to lose sight and correct assessment, and fall into the impatience that is the source of all human tragedies. Most mega-projects have not generated any profits, because it has amassed is too little and not more than the replacement of millions of dollars that were spent in propespeções and other investments. To demonstrate this, suffice it to say that prospeções of petroleum and gas in Cabo Delgado have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to the multinationals that lead out there, and even if they were to begin now to exploit this gas would have to recover these first million before of starting to inject money in bulk to our coffers. So, speaking of the distribution of wealth that comes from mega-projects as has been touted in the televised debates, I do not have to be as linear as has been ae now, because we may be talking about distfribuição chicken whose eggs do not even left the egg. This is because the Tete coal only began to be exported in the middle of last year, Cabo Delgado and gas is still under the ground where ever. It was only that location and located only cost $ millions. For example, the drilling of a well to see whether or not oil or gas in a certain area, it costs a million dollars per day. As far as I said in Texas, the headquarters of Anadarko this American multinational that will make these drilling for nearly two years, ie about 700 days, which multiplied by one million dollars, has more than 700 million dolores . Even the mega-projects that are already producing income, such as Mozal, should be to recover what it spent on its construction, and as we know, was in the order of more than one billion U.S. dollars.
To better evaluate the stage of our development, we must know where we started. We are a country that emerged from the war fractricida just 20 years ago, and already we should rejoice, because we are part of the 10 countries from among about 200 who delight the world, which recorded a growth of at least eight percent a year over the last 10 years. And we remain in this grupingo resgistam of countries that this rapid growth that China and Angola are some of them, although nearly all other countries are on fire, and have an almost stagnant growth of between zero and a little more , 9 percent, counting among them, all of the European Union and the U.S..
But after 5150 when it is greater than 4080?
During the visit I made last December to Tete, one of the things I said, there was a strong feeling that the recruitment of workers for companies that are now extract the immeasurable deposits of coal in Moatize, were almost all the South of our country. Those who told me that the conviction and said so, let it be said in defense of truth, with a certain doze of anger and even outrage, implying that there would be another major revolt much more serious than was the protagnizada resettled in Cateme. Temoroso and I confess I was worried, because I always thought that the discovery of coal and other resources was a blessing to the inhabitants of Tete in particular, but the country as a whole, because as I said, I believe that all the wealth that is to discover a corner of our country, is a treasure for us all Mozambicans.
Some of those who spoke, went so far as to say that if they do not correct this problem, one runs the risk of having therein a Mozambican Cabinda, that is, an attempt to secede from the rest of Tete in Mozambique. When I heard this, said to myself that this is such a serious matter that can not continue to ignore or not to debate, to make it clear to all of us whether there is a breakdown of the benefit of local Mozambicans South, or as stated there, the machanganas ...
In order to understand if indeed there would be an apartheid there, just tried to give me a TPC that I could ever lead to crack this job discrimination. Of the data obtained so far does not confirm that it is before a different point of apartheid in that country, as discussed below.
In fact, the data obtained hitherto unsuspected sources show that, of those positions 11 145 mega-projects built up here, are occupied by Mozambicans 9234, and of these about 10,000, 5150 that there are occupied by Mozambicans Tete or tetenses, and of these, just over five thousand, include 1928, or nearly two thousand, that are of Moatize. However, unless these data are forged, then the much heralded theory that most jobs are with the southerners, not true. This is because the 9234 Mozambicans who work it, only 4084 are not of Tete, but other regions of the country, which all of the lights is just, because it would make sense that they were all Tete alone, just because coal is in Tete . It would be unfair because if we are to defend this thesis, then Mozambicans Cabo Delgado could also say that only they should work in the exploration of gas that day after day are discovering in their province. And who speaks of Cape delgadenses, to speak of compatriots from other areas such as Panda and Pomene, where for many years it is exploring gas, but never raised the issue that there are Mozambicans who are not there they are monopolize the jobs. As we know, for centuries, the region south of the country, especially Maputo, was Mecca for all of us because this was part of the country, there were more chances of getting a job or be a business, because it was where the colonial had done some development.
And it was here, especially in Maputo, Mozambique who came from all other provinces to try to employ as is happening now with Tete. And many are employed often at the expense of the natives of this province or at least city, but as far as I know, the natural barriers and never created much less hostile to those who came from other provinces. It is curious that ended up being a Penela Maputo that Mozambique has absorbed all the tribes of Mozambique, to the point that today is a city where multi-linguistic own local language, the Ronga, succumbed to the dominance of dandio place changana which is the neighboring province of Gaza. Strictly speaking, Maputo today is a salad that pleases all the tribes that make up our parents, and try to see it as a city of machangas or people from the South, is a grave error of Paddling.
This fact alone proves that now is not worth seeing people who live in the south, center and north of the country as originating in those regions. In fact, the advent of our independence just opening the doors of each of the provinces of the country which finally resulted in a migration that is mutual giving way to a new tribe, which is a generation of young people who can speak only one language, that aa officer or Portuguese. In fact, what we must do for the national languages ​​do not die once, is to teach each of them in each of the provinces of the country so that they can now be truly national and not local and are up to now. It is imperative that we teach not only to ensure their survival, but above all because there are now many seniors who were in their provinces, but they already have grandchildren or nephews who are now vice-versely speaking, South, North, Central, and who speak the languages ​​of the provinces where they were born and not those of their grandparents, uncles or cousins ​​who remained where their ancestors left them.
All this I have just summarized here, shows that there is not worth trying to erect barriers not to be employed in Tete and Cabo Delgado are not only that these provinces, because the people of the South and the other provinces are not limited now to the originating , as I pointed out the basis of this salad is now the tribal area sona south of the country and, in particular, the city and around the greater Maputo. This salad is catalyzed human maputense more because it was in Maputo that had most of the secondary schools that colonialism had left as there was here where the only university, which is the Eduardo Mondlane, before the building we see today in other provinces and which now total over 40. The fact that it was in Maputo where he had the best schools and universities only causes was also here where there Mozambican higher academic standards and has references from employers who have been investing in the country, as is the case that Tete is absorbing most of which has higher education, especially geologists. This shows that Confucius was right when he said that the greatest wealth of a people is the knowledge that comes from the study.
Even the material wealth that sleep in the land, soil and seas and lakes of our country, only that we will benefit from them, is mastering the knowledge, because the contrary, we are mere servants and porters of the multinationals that will explore and then take them in large ships to their countries, while we stay with the holes, as we warned our legendary Samora Machel when he insisted that we estuar seriously to mastering science and technology can have power in its true essence. Thus said, we should nurture and promote the employment of those who studied with us, no matter whether they are North, Central or South of our country, provided they are competent and able to defend our interests. Valuing those who had been studying the China of today could take over the Western science and technology and leverage up to become a super-modern society that everyone envies now only 30 years. (G.Mavie). *title Moznews

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Enter Cuambe, Muxanga out?

The State-owned Electricity of Mozambique (EDM) has, as of today, with a new President of the Board (PCA), which will replace Cuambe Manuel, who had assumed this function since 2005. This is Fernando Augusto, a picture of the Board of Directors of the EDM). This was announced in Maputo, the government spokesman, Alberto Nkutumula, during the usual briefing the press at the end of the session of the Council of Ministers. Indeed, meeting at its eighth regular session, the Council of Ministers adopted two resolutions, one that determines the departure of Manuel Cuambe the office of the PCA EDM and other appointing Fernando Augusto for the same position. The departure of Manuel Cuambe comes just over a week after the fire substation in the EDM, located on the campus of the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) and whose losses are estimated at three million dollars. The journalists at the briefing questioned whether the decision of the Council of Ministers would be associated with the incident occurred on 11 March. In response, Nkutumula said there was no connection with the case, stressing that the decision should be only because Manuel Cuambe have reached the end of his second term in the direction of the empresa.Corredores Cuambe indicate that national policy can be substituted Paul Muchanga, current Chairman of the Board of Hidroelectrica Cahora Bassa, whose image was affected last year by building a personal residence of dimensions and location of envy in the village of Songo (headquarters HCB)

Military problems at home

Over two hundred military officers and police, as well as squares, guards and sergeants in the House Committee on Military Service of the Presidency, say they are apprehensive and angered by a decision of the Directorate of General Jorge Gune, to suspend the provision of fuels (gasoline and diesel) for the supply of their vehicles.Some representatives of which are targeted mainly members of the Presidential Escort contacted our reporting on condition of anonymity to say: "We are appalled by the decision." With effect from 01 March current, the head of the Military, Jorge Gune, evoking reasons of austerity issued a circular determining the suspension of the fuel supplied to most beneficiários.Dizem sources that "the suspension does not apply to heads of Departments and Departments of the Military," "those who also receive monthly allowance of fuel ".The military who sought us regret that the chiefs of bureaus and departments have a dual benefit, especially the fuel supply and also the fuel subsidy."The heads of departments and agencies have the right to a monthly allowance of fuel and still benefit more monthly supply. We who do not even have enough, withdrew in the little we have enjoyed, "laments one of the officers of the garrison of the president who came in contact.Asked what would be the one to challenge the action as the head of the Military, the officials told us that what is happening now "is just murmur"."As General Gune is a dictator and treats the house as a private military security of your property, nobody dares to come forward and say something. We all have fear of reprisals, "said one source."Any complaint is not upheld. If you dare to complain, you end up being returned to its origin, ie the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) or the Armed Forces for the Defence of Mozambique (FADM), "added another source concluding that" if someone complains against him ( General Gune) is screwed, because the PRM will FADM with the process or dirty or misleading information about his person. "The measure is also taken as a means of halting a corruption scheme in fuel supply, which involves senior officers of the Military and instituição.Um people outside the group of officers of the Military targeted by the measure expresses a guard descontentamento.Indicam or occupation and a square with official jobless received monthly 30 liters of petrol or diesel, the Heads of Sections, 60 liters, Heads of Services, 90 liters, 120 liters Heads of Departments, Heads of Departments, 160 liters and so on ."With this measure we can not receive even a liter, which causes us enormous constraints in carrying out our duties," said the official concerned.According to the same sources, although the measure suspending the supply of fuel, many cars of strangers House Military supplies continue to come in that institution, benefiting from a cheating scheme involving senior officers of that entity that oversees the security chief of State, Armando Guebuza. "Many who continue to benefit from subsidies of fuel and supply do not even have cars, so many cars that are supplied are relatives of some officers," complains one of the sources citing the cases of Mr Fernando, Godinho, Bitone, among others that "do not have a car for more than five years, but benefit from the allowance of fuel and 120 liters of fuel each." "These officers are arranging people out there who give them money and then come here in the House Military supplies, making the practice a business for them, "says a source later confirmed by other sources that have been mentioned as being employed as Militar.Face House, officials say the big problem is the schema management of the Casa Militar which is escangalhado."What is happening is that there is no monitoring. Buy car today, you are entitled to fuel and sells the same car tomorrow, nobody does the review at least annually, of whether the beneficiary still has car or not, "says one of our sources."So it takes more fuel that is sold out, than with the supply of vehicles of persons working in the Military." Currently, the Military House has a staff of about 3,000 officers, from among military Armed Forces and Police of PRM.O Gune General, an officer from the Armed Forces, has been accused of taking the Armed Forces for the Military House, since his appointment as head of that institution, marginalizing the police officers who have long , ie, since the presidency of Joaquim Chissano, watched over by the head of state security."As you know, here we function-based hierarchy and not just anyone can talk, so I'm not the person to speak or comment on this matter. Look who should talk, "reacted like Lt. Col. Fair, head of the Office of General Jorge Gune.Entretanto, the same agents also say they are aghast with the Human Resources Directorate of the Military, not to be providing them with access to their annual income statements for the purpose of filling in the form 10. According to the same sources in the Military, to obtain a statement of income as they pray the rules, you must make your request, the answer comes to take more than six months, which he said undermines their interests. Contacted the Police chief superintendent, Edia, Human Resources of the Military, declined to speak saying "that you are contacting the wrong person about this, because I'm not the right person." (Bernard Alvaro)

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

NEW SUGAR MILL FOR ZAMBEZIA

Studies are under way for a new sugar plantation and mill in Mopeia district, in the central Mozambican province of Zambezia, reports Tuesday’s edition of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.According to Mopeia district administrator, Joao Zamissa, who was briefing a government brigade led by the Minister of Planning and Development, Aiuba Cuereneia, at an extraordinary meeting of the Mopeia district government, the project is financed by South African investors, and the plantation will eventually cover 30,000 hectares. Planting cane on the first 10,000 hectares could take place in the second half of this year,Zamissa said abut 3,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created. Most of the direct jobs will be in the plantation. The sugar mill will employ about 400 people. “Everything indicates that work will begin in the second half of this year, with the preparation of the first fields for production”, he added. “Installing the factory should take place in the middle of next year”.Zamissa said that, in the first phase of the project, its backers are promising to invest about a million US dollars. He claimed that, within the first five years, the factory will be selling 400,000 US dollars worth of sugar on the domestic and export markets. Cuereneia urged the Mopeia district government to ensure that small scale producers could be involved in the project. “I would like a detailed report on how the population can sell cane to the sugar factory”, he said. There is already one sugar mill in Zambezia, at Luabo, in Chinde district – but it lies in ruins. The Luabo mill was once part of the Sena Sugar Estates, but it was destroyed by the apartheid-backed Renamo rebels in 1986, and has never been rebuilt.If the Mopeia project comes to fruition, it will be the fifth functioning sugar mill in Mozambique. The other four are at Maragra and Xinavane in Maputo province, and at Mafambisse and Marromeu in Sofala.

ANADARKO HOLDS SUCCESSFUL FLOW TEST IN ROVUMA BASIN

The Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation on Monday announced the results of its first flow test from the natural gas fields it is exploring in the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.  An Anadarko press release said that its Barquentine-2 well “flowed at an equipment-constrained rate of 90 to 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d), with minimal pressure drawdown, providing confidence in well designs that are capable of 100 to 200 MMcf/d”.   The test at Barquentine-2 exhibited exceptional flow characteristics, confirmed the deliverability of this reservoir and indicated a low density of development wells may be sufficient to produce the reservoir,' the Anadarko Senior Vice President for Worldwide Exploration, Bob Daniels, said. 'Using pre-set gauges in an offset well, we were able to confirm connectivity and reservoir continuity over a distance of more than 3 kilometres”.  He added that the test “also proves the reservoir has very high permeability, meeting the quality specifications for the partnership's LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) development plans. This is a very encouraging way to start our testing program, which is an important component in the reserve certification process, as we focus on achieving FID (final investment decision) around the end of 2013.'   The Barquentine-2 well is at a water depth of about 1,650 metres. The drillstem test was conducted by the Deepwater Millennium drillship, which Anadarko expects to move to the Barquentine-1 well for a second flow test.   The tests will continue in 2012 further south, in the Lagosta and Camarao areas where Anadarko has also discovered gas. Anadarko is the operator of the Rovuma Basin Offshore Area 1 with a 36.5-percent working interest. Its partners are Mitsui of Japan (20 per cent), BPRL Ventures and Videocon (both of India, with 10 per cent each) and Cove Energy of Britain (8.5 per cent). The Mozambican government is represented by the National Hydrocarbon Company (ENH) which holds a 15 per cent interest in the fields. So far the Anadarko discoveries amount to an estimated 15 to 30 trillion cubic feet o recoverable natural gas. The company believes that this is the basis for not one, but at least two, LNG plants (known as liquefaction trains) in Cabo Delgado, each producing five million tonnes of LNG a year.   By the end of 2013, Anadarko will have invested three billion US dollars in the Rovuma Basin. If it goes ahead with the LNG plant, total investment could reach 18 billion dollars by 2018, the earliest possible date for starting production.

COCA-COLA DENIES CANCER CLAIM

Coca-Cola Sabco, the Mozambican branch of the Coca-Cola company, has denied that there is any chance that its soft drinks can cause cancer.  The company’s denial, issued on Monday, comes after the Washington-based Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) warned that one of the flavourings used, by both Coca-Cola and its rival Pepsi-Cola, is a carcinogen.   The ingredient concerned is the caramel flavouring 4-methylimidazole (4-MEL), which researchers claim could be linked to cancer in mice and rats. This was sufficient for the state of California to declare 4-MEL a carcinogen – even though small amounts of this flavouring are found in many foods and drinks.  The Coca-Cola Sabco release protested that the scare was based on just one laboratory study undertaken on rodents, and that to obtain the minimum dose that the rats received in the study a human would have to drink more than 2,900 cans of Coke every day for 70 years.   Nonetheless, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola are altering the composition of the drinks they sell in the United States so that they will contain less 4-MEL. This is because, under California law, foodstuffs with above a certain level of substances declared carcinogenic must carry a cancer-warning label.   CSPI found that the cans of Coke and Pepsi it sampled contained between 103 and 153 micrograms of 4-MEL. The California cancer warning label would be obligatory on cans with above 29 micrograms of the substance.   To avoid such a label, which might affect sales, both soft drinks companies are reducing the amount of 4-MEL in their drinks, even though they insist there is no cancer risk.   A Coca-Cola representative in South Africa, Zipporah Maubane, told reporters that the same move would also be taken with the dinks made in South Africa. But there are no plans, so far, to change the composition of the drinks sold in Europe.  Of course, the real health risk from Coca-Cola and similar drinks has nothing to do with tiny amounts of debatable carcinogens, but from the undoubted presence of large amounts of sugar. For instance, a one litre bottle of Coke contains 108 grams of sugar, more than 11 per cent of the total weight of the drink. That sugar provides 400 calories.  No health authority doubts that excessive sugar consumption is a major component in the current obesity epidemic in the United States. Worried that the habit of slurping sugar filled soft drinks is dangerously expanding the nation’s waistline, some concerned American politicians have advocated additional taxes on such drinks. But the proposed taxes have failed in 30 US states – defeated by a massive lobbying effort from Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and the American Beverage Association, which have spent around 70 million dollars since early 2009 on their lobbying efforts.  Mozambique’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Armando Inroga, told the independent daily “O Pais” that on Tuesday Coca-Cola Sabco will meet with a team from his ministry to discuss what measures the company is taking in light of the CSPI findings.   He pointed out that if Mozambican laboratory examinations find that Coca-Cola products are damaging to human health, then they can be withdrawn from circulation.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Dhlakama "awaiting response Guebuza"

Following the attack carried out early on Thursday by the Rapid Intervention Force (FIR) at Renamo headquarters in Nampula, where they were housed ex-combatants of the guerrilla, the Electoral Observatory, a body that in recent days was trying to bring from the Renamo leadership, met emergency yesterday morning in Maputo, to analyze the political and military situation in the town of Sheikh Abdul Nampula.O Carimo, which informed the meeting of the Emergency Centre, condemns Attack of the Rapid Intervention Force (FIR) and the delegation of Renamo demanded the immediate and unconditional release of 23 members of that political party in the service of guard Afonso Dhlakama, held in the aftermath of the police attack. The Electoral Observatory, according to the sheik Carimo summoned, even on the morning of Thursday, representatives of Frelimo and Renamo, for the emergency meeting in Maputo. "Well, we are currently meeting to review developments on the ground, at a time when we were trying to meetings with the leadership of Frelimo and Renamo," said Abdul Carimo, adding that "this time we called the leaders of the parties policy for this meeting and we expect that at any moment reach a representative of both parties, where we are gathered here, to persuade them to stop with this shame and resolve the problem. " The representative of the Electoral Observatory expressed concern at recent events in Nampula, that reflect the attack on the headquarters of Renamo and the arrest of its members, mostly ex-guerrillas who were there for two months.Carimo Abdul said he had no precise information of the aftermath of the police operation in Nampula on the existence of dead, wounded and prisoners, except those which were advanced by the PRM under which 23 former Renamo guerrillas were arrested in the operation. "For That's right, we are meeting and called the representatives of Frelimo and Renamo here in Maputo, to give us account of the situation, since our colleagues in Nampula not advance accurate information, "said the sheik sheik.O condemned the attack Police the delegation of Renamo. He said that such a procedure is not justified because there is no reason to be.
"I think there is no reason at this point to be attacks against headquarters of political parties as is happening. There should be more restraint because any attack can cause a reaction impossible to control and negative consequences, "warned Abdul Carimo." Stop the attacks and to contain, so that this situation will be resolved at the political level, "he called religious leader , concluding that "in fact we think that everything should start from scratch, even the Renamo men think they are detained should be released to quell the spirits."

Missel despair

When the forces of Muammar Qaddafi used for the first time, during the conflict with the rebels, a Scud missile, NATO Colonel Roland Lavoie, described the act as a sign of desperation of the regime of Gaddafi: "Our assessment is that Gaddafi's regime is no longer effective operational capability. You can certainly throw dishes against the wall to make a little noise, but we believe can generate a significant effect operating. "
It seems to me to be what is happening in Frelimo, judging by the behavior of its leadership, especially by their pronouncements. It is that last year, the Head of State, while Frelimo President Armando Guebuza, said most of the critics who worked for the silence. It was a rich year in response to critics than results of solutions of the problems that are raised by these critics. It was more than whining solver of the concerns of Mozambicans.
Doing a search easily concludes that over the past two years, Guebuza has invested more in the responses by actions than by words. Have resorted to nicknaming those who criticize the expressions as "apostles of doom", "talkative", "intriguers," "incompetent," "marginal," "impatient," "those who want to see everything done today"; "they want to see all happening simultaneously across our Mozambique," those who "ignore the processes that go beyond our capacity resources when their bids are not accomplished, make use of articles detrimental to national unity, harmony and coexistence among Mozambicans, and even speak of political will of the Frelimo government, "who" suffer from internal conflicts, "among others.
Today, because the criticism has not only come from outside but from within the party, the president of Frelimo, also turned into the party, prompting critics inside the party to "the risk to marginalize, to abandon their collective , his comrades, the decisions of the organs, to reproduce their own ideas, thinking they are speaking on behalf "of the party.
More: Guebuza believes that "some want to appear as being better than the actual Frelimo". However, does not refer to any names of those "some", interestingly, members and their subordinates in the party that he is the epitome. This statement, which appears in the style of "gossip", gives the impression that the Frelimo frontality that is said to have existed has been replaced by "say ..." that is, more gossip than forthright.
It is worrying for a party the size of Frelimo, when their president makes public statements reveal that it supports the bases of gossip, instead of using the means at its disposal to attract attention to their subordinates to the need to curb his temper in his public appearances.
Guebuza's public pronouncements are a clear sign that he has no power to impose order within the party. They are a sign of desperation, a statement that he lost control of the party agenda and his comrades.
Also, Guebuza not only realized later that the party is so great that not only fits in your hands but also realized belatedly that some of his buddies are so powerful than he. Also realize that your effort and intention monarchy was not only fruitless but also divided the party into wings.
Their public statements that "some want to suggest that there are two or more Frelimos, is understandable. They are trying to understand an event that is to go and who will turn 50 years, from personal experience, limited and not necessarily look at this movement, which is only moving when its members have united and work for the same purpose "are confirming that there are in fact split in the party.(L.Mabunda)